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Red-hot Nuggets facing tough test Thursday in Denver against Bulls

Denver small forward Danilo Gallinari Gallinari has helped the Nuggets put themselves in position to make a run at the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari might say, are so "caldo." Or "goryachiy," according to Timofey Mozgov. Or perhaps "kafto," per Kosta Koufos; "chaud," according to Evan Fournier.

The Nuggets are hot. Kate Upton-hot. They have won seven consecutive games. They have lost only three games this calendar year, while averaging 108.5 points.

"There is some growing up going on out there," said Denver coach George Karl.

But Thursday on national TV, the Nuggets face a pest of a test. The Bulls really D up, man.

"They're a well-disciplined defensive team. Some people think they might be one of the best defensive teams in basketball," Karl said Wednesday. "The pace of the game is important, and they're going to try to play a 90-point game. I think our aggressiveness defensively (is important), giving them different looks because they're going to run a lot of different shooters off screens."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, a defensive mastermind, has turned his team into the Ravens. The Bulls are 10 games above .500 and still don't have star point guard Derrick Rose back from an injury. Post players Joakim Noah (foot) and Carlos Boozer (hamstring) are day to day. No-names such as Jimmy Butler have evolved into defensive stalwarts. Nate Robinson — yes, ol' Nate Robinson — has resurfaced in the backcourt, even earning conference player of the week honors.

"We need to move the ball and we need to run, especially against a team like the Bulls that plays good 5-on-5 defense," said Corey Brewer, who scored 20 points Tuesday in Denver's 112-104 victory over Milwaukee. "We want to run them up and down the court."

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Perhaps the biggest gripe about the Nuggets earlier this season was their inconsistency, both as a team and among their top players.

Of course, the Nuggets were then in the middle of a brutal road stretch. In the winning team's locker room Tuesday, Ty Lawson explained his theory about what happened. Early in the season, players were still learning how to mesh with one another.

The Nuggets are clicking now. Yes, there still are lapses, such as their defense in the first half Tuesday against Milwaukee, when they allowed 66 points. But the Nuggets are finding ways to win. And the newfound consistency of Lawson and Gallinari has helped the Nuggets put themselves in prime position to make a run at the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

"I think you're seeing a little bit of maturity in our basketball team," Karl said. "Right now our team is getting into a rhythm of being serious about our challenges."

One of the issues with the Nuggets is the meshing-in-progress with Andre Iguodala. Whether it's statistics or just the eye test, Iguodala has made a huge impact defensively. But offensively, there continues to be questions.

The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman posts analysis, notes and more on this blog focussing on the Denver Nuggets.

"Our foundation, when we traded for him, was to build our defense at a higher level," Karl said. "I think we're doing that. Statistically, we're never going to look impressive defensively because we play so fast and the numbers are going to be skewed. But it's fun to have him. I want him to become more efficient offensively, and I think he will be. His shooting is something I'd like to see him more confident in. And I don't deny that the style we play, speeding him up, he can be confused a little bit. But we're winning a lot more games with our defense than ever before."